How to stream NFL games online: A complete guide to the 2018 season

No cords? No problem.

When you’re trying to figure out how to stream NFL games online, the first thing you need to think about is how many games you really want to see. Do you need NFL RedZone or NFL Sunday Ticket? Do you want to make sure you’ll have access to a live stream for Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football? Do you want the ability to record or replay NFL games? Are you obsessed with one particular team or do you just want to see the highlights from your fantasy players?

No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find everything you need to know in our comprehensive guide to streaming NFL games for the 2018 season.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the ultimate NFL package. It allows you to watch every NFL game on Sunday live, except for those being shown on your local channels. Even better: You can watch anywhere from four to eight games at once, and the Player Tracker feature lets you keep tabs on up to 20 players so you’ll know exactly how well your fantasy team is holding up.

The NFLST.TV Max bundles NFL RedZone and DirecTV Fantasy Zone for $99.99 per month or $395.99 for the entire season. The best part: You don’t need a satellite dish or a traditional DirecTV contract. You can stream on pretty much every device you can think of.

But if you’re looking for the cheaper solution for NFL Sunday Ticket streaming, you have another option: If you’re a student at a two- or four-year university—and you can prove it—you can get a steep discount on NFL Sunday Ticket. The NFLST.TV U package is $24.99 per month or just $99.96 for the entire season.

How to stream NFL games: Live games and local channels

All of the major streaming services cost roughly the same amount and offer variations of the same channels, but each one has a distinct X factor—something that truly sets it apart and might make your decision easier—or something that’s noticeably missing. We’ll call out both for each live TV streaming service below to help you find the best way to stream NFL games.

Hulu with Live TV is exactly what’s advertised: everything you love about Hulu’s on-demand content coupled with 40 channels of live TV. You don’t just get ESPN here—you also get ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPNU, along with FS1 and FS2. For an extra $4 per month, you can upgrade to Hulu with No Commercials. But it’s worth noting: You can’t add NFL Network or NFL RedZone. For many viewers, that’s a dealbreaker.

Game-changing feature: Price. Sling TV offers the most football for the least amount of money.

Sling TV offers three packages—Sling Orange ($30 per month), Sling Blue ($30 per month), and Sling Orange + Blue ($45 per month)—and the first two frustratingly split the baby when it comes to sports. Sling Orange offers ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3, but Sling Blue has all of the other sports content you want, including NFL Network, FS1, FS2, and NBCSN. That’s why you’ll likely want the combination Sling Orange + Blue package so you get the best of both.

Game-changing feature: Three-day replay for games and 30 hours of cloud DVR.

FuboTV is the best streaming service you’ve never heard of. While it was launched with a focus on international soccer, it’s now one of the best ways to watch NFL games online. FuboTV’s basic plan boasts 85 channels and includes NFL Network. The only real knock against it is that it’s missing ESPN, which hosts Monday Night Football (more on that later).

There’s a good chance that you’re already looking to AT&T for your wireless needs. The second you sign up you’ll gain instant access to 45+ channels, including local channels and even free HBO on PLUS and MAX channel suites. Plus, it comes with CloudDVR which lets you record up to 20 hours of TV per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5.

Game-changing feature: You can add up to six accounts per household, and each one of those accounts gets unlimited cloud DVR. Even better: You can fast-forward through ads in recorded programs.

YouTube TV is a great way to stream NFL games, but it’s even more appealing if you’re a sports fan in general. The YouTube channel lineup includes ESPN, FS1, MLB Network, and NBA TV, along with a couple of college sports networks (SEC Network, Big Ten Network), and three channels for MLS teams. The only downsides? You can stream via Amazon Fire or add NFL RedZone.

Once you’ve watched NFL RedZone, it’s hard to go back. NFL RedZone captures the most exciting parts of NFL games, switching to whichever game (or games) features a team in the “red zone.” It’s basically nonstop highlight reels, which is great if you want to see all the big plays, track your fantasy players, or just have ADHD. NFL RedZone is available as part of four different streaming packages:

How to stream NFL games online: Monday Night Football

The only way to watch Monday Night Football online is on ESPN, and for some reason, the games aren’t available on ESPN+, the station’s new standalone app. Thankfully, four out of the top six live TV streaming services offer ESPN in their packages, and you don’t have to upgrade, either. It’s available in the entry-level channel lineup for each service.

2) Fox

Fox has secured the over-the-air broadcast rights to Thursday Night Football, and it’s set to broadcast 11 games this season. Thankfully, every live TV streaming service offers local channels, but you’ll need to double-check that they’re available in your area.

Amazon will be streaming the same 11 Thursday Night Football games as Fox. If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, what are you waiting for? It costs $120 per year (or $12.99 per month), and you’ll easily recoup on your investment with free two-day shipping and access to Amazon’s on-demand library of originals, documentaries, 4K movies, thrillers, and alien movies.

To watch Thursday Night Football on Twitch, you don’t even need an Amazon account. All you have to do is visit twitch.tv/primevideo. That’s it. Even better: The free Thursday Night Football live stream will work on desktop or mobile, and it’s a global stream, so you can watch from anywhere but China.

NFL RedZone and NFL Ticket won’t help you watch Sunday Night Football, but you have plenty of other options, the easiest of which would be to use an HD antenna. If you’d rather stream Sunday Night Football, here’s how to do it. Worth noting: Local channels can be hit or miss with live TV streaming services—you’ll want to check what’s available in your area using the links provided above—but all of the services below also offer NBCSN.

FuboTV: $39.99 for your first month and $44.99 per month thereafter (with a seven-day free trial)

NBC Sports app: Price varies depending on provider, but your log-in credentials for any of the options listed above will work

2018 Sunday Night Football schedule

All times ET.

Week 1: Sept. 9, 8:20pm: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Week 2: Sept. 16, 8:20pm: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

Week 3: Sept. 23, 8:20pm: New England Patriots at Detroit Lions

Week 4: Sept. 30, 8:20pm: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 5: Oct. 7, 8:20pm: Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans

Week 6: Oct. 14, 8:20pm: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

Week 7: Oct. 21, 8:20pm: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers

Week 8: Oct. 28, 8:20pm: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings

Week 9: Nov. 4, 8:20pm: Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

Week 10: Nov. 11, 8:20pm: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 11: Nov. 18, 8:20pm: Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 12: Nov. 25, 8:20pm: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Week 13: Dec. 2, 8:20pm: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Week 14: Dec. 9, 8:20pm: Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders

Week 15: Dec. 16, 8:20pm: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams

Week 16: Dec. 23, 8:20pm: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks

Stream NFL games online: Your best bet

Sling TV

If you have the budget, by all means, get the NFL Sunday Ticket Max package. For everyone else, I’d recommend Sling TV. With the Sling Blue package, you’ll be able to watch Monday Night Football and all of the Sunday NFL games on your local channels, as well as most Thursday Night Football games. More importantly, for just $10 more, you can add NFL RedZone, which is by far your cheapest option. If that’s not enough football for you, all you have to do is upgrade to Sling Orange + Blue to get NFL Network. That way you’ll never miss a down.

Austin Powell is the former managing editor of the Daily Dot. His work focuses on the intersection of entertainment and technology. He previously served as a music columnist for the Austin Chronicle and is the co-author of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology.